Tribal identity

“While benefiting from affirmative action in some cases, Adivasis or indigenous people in India also feel the claustrophobic confines of their identity which has been imposed on them by others, be it the colonial administrator, the colonial anthropologist, the missionary or the neo-liberal, neo-imperialist forces that rule global economy today.” – Santali poet, scholar and translator Ivy Imogene Hansdak  in “Is tribal identity relevant in today’s world?”, Inaugural Speech, National Conference “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (2017)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23032

Rock shelters of Bhimbetka: Aboriginal folklore and popular culture of the Adivasis – Madhya Pradesh

by

[…] Fresh from the book launch of Ijlal Majeed’s stunning new poetry collection in Bhopal, I find myself gazing at the rock shelters of Bhimbetka and murmuring these verses over and over again. For indeed there is something subliminal about this place; it makes you question accepted notions of time and timelessness. Looking at the … Read more

A tribal martial art valued for helping actors and patients to “make connections between the body and mind”: Seraikela Chhau – West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand & Manipur

by

Photo Essay | Behind the maskPrachi Jawadekar Wagh, Livemint.com, 23 August 2013 Though popular in Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand, Chhau is yet to be embraced and acknowledged in the rest of the country | To view more photos and read the full article, click here >> […] The elaborate, stylized and often vigorous movements … Read more

Building tribal students’ self-confidence: Karate training for self-protection

by

The State police have awarded V. Krishnankutty, Sub-inspector of Police, Agali, Attappady, a “commendation certificate for excellent service rendered” for giving karate training to hundreds of tribal students. […] He has been giving regular karate training for more than a year to tribal girls and boys from various schools of Attappady who stay in the … Read more

Research and Indigenous Peoples: A counter-story to Western ideas about the benefits of the pursuit of knowledge

by

Decolonizing MethodologiesResearch and Indigenous PeoplesLinda Tuhiwai Smith To the colonized, the term ‘research’ is conflated with European colonialism; the ways in which academic research has been implicated in the throes of imperialism remains a painful memory. This essential volume explores intersections of imperialism and research – specifically, the ways in which imperialism is embedded in … Read more